French Mastiff Athena has been taken in by a couple who run a dog rescue organization.

A 10-year-old French Mastiff who was discovered buried alive has been taken in by a couple who run a dog rescue organization in France.

Athena has completed her recovery at a Parisian veterinary clinic and is now settling into her new home with Pierre and Raymonde Delfosse who are in charge of SOS Dogue de Bordeaux, a group that is committed to helping beautiful dogs like her. (Dogue de Bordeaux is another name for the French Mastiff).

“She is a lovely dog,” the Delfosses told The Dodo. “She has recovered well and is confident around people. It’s love.”

They told the site that Athena enjoys being out in their back garden and playing with other animals — in other words, she is finally being treated like the sweet dog that she is.

Pedro Dinis found Athena last August, buried up to her neck in a mound of dirt. He called for emergency services to help him free the dog — who had even been tethered to a bag of stones so she wouldn’t break free. Athena was “shocked and dehydrated” when she was transported to the V24 veterinary clinic where she was nursed back to health.

Meanwhile, her former owner has been charged with animal cruelty and is facing up to two years in prison and fines of more than $32,000. His court date has been set for early next year.

Comments

what a sweet and darling face. i could burst into tears when i even imagine someone doing this to her. even tying her down with rocks so she couldn’t get out. i just do not understand the mindset of someone who could look into the eyes of a dog and do this to them. i am soooooo glad that she was discovered and is in good hands now. as for the scum that did this to her, i hope they make a great example out of them. really teach them a lesson so people will wake up and realize that they can’t get away with doing such horrible things. the 32,000.00 fine sounds great but being this callous and cruel should come with a greater jail sentence.